COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | MAY 27, 2021 | 3A Pet Tips‘n’ Tales: Mr. Bean’s Best Friend Herb By Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe” When Mr. Bean’s best friend Herb passed; he at- tended the funeral with his humans. They met two years ago when Mr. Bean’s father, Charlie, was in a hospital. His roommate was Herb. The men had both grown up in New York City, so they formed a spe- cial friendship. Herb lived an isolated life in an assisted living facility. He had very few visitors, so when Mr. Bean arrived to visit his human daddy, it was the highlight of Herb’s day when the dog licked his hands. “Herb had comment- ed that he once had a Bi- chon Frise who slept on his chest, and being able to see and pet Bean was healing therapy,” said Jo. “Herb’s wife had passed years before and so had his daughter at age two. In our hearts, we felt that Herb’s wife sent us to make Herb feel loved.” Jo and Charlie prom- ised Herb that when he returned to his care home that Mr. Bean would con- tinue visiting. They kept their promise. Herb loved dogs and was tickled when Mr. Bean jumped up on his bed for a pat and a nap. Their bond was evident, so Jo ‘present- ed’ Herb with a photo of his favorite dog and Herb confessed that he kissed the picture every night. COVID stopped their COURTESY PHOTO Mr. Bean honors his friend Herb by attending his funeral. heartwarming visits, then Herb became ill and the threesome weren’t allowed to visit. Even when Herb entered hospice, they were banned from visiting. The ARRANGEMENTS ARE ALWAYS EASIER IN ADVANCE When you organize your funeral in advance you can take your time, think about what is important to you and make choices that are true to you. Rather than leaving your family to guess and make rushed decisions while grieving, you have the power to take control of your final wishes. Planning your funeral is a beautiful way to take inventory of your life and choose how you would like to be remembered. Musgroves.com family were heartbroken for Herb’s isolation and passing because he was dearly loved. “It bothered us that Herb died without say- ing goodbye to his buddy and Charlie’s service dog. So we three honored him by attending his funeral,” said Jo. “Bean has never been in a church, and was a little angel sitting on the pew between us. When the priest said ‘stand’ or ‘sit’, Bean followed the priest’s directives. “We were proud of Mr. Bean. He never made a sound during the service. I felt that Herb would be happy looking down from heaven seeing his best fur- ry friend in attendance. Just then, Bean’s eyes started tracking something invisible. I believe it was Herb’s spirit. People at- tending the mass and the priest came up to us and mentioned Beans good be- havior. It was a fitting fare- well to his friend Herb. “Herb was rarely without his Gator baseball hat. The photo above is when he popped it onto Bean’s head and the well-worn hat was displayed at his service. Once care homes open to visitors, we plan on taking Mr. Bean to visit residents in Herb’s memory of his lifelong love for dogs.” TIPS “I caught a glimpse of our new rescued Bichon, Gracie, in the bedroom,” said Kaye. “She is not yet allowed in that room. My husband was in the den, so I asked him, ‘Why is Gracie in the bedroom?’ He said, ‘She isn’t. She’s sitting on my lap.’ I looked around the bedroom again, and it was empty. That’s when I realized that our Bichon, Daisy, who died two years ago, had come to check on the new dog she chose for us. Animals have souls, and like people, their souls live on after physical death. It is reassuring that they will be waiting for us on the other side. I hope someone finds comfort in reading this.” “Have a plan in place for someone to care for your pets if the worst-case sce- nario occurs ,” said Janet- ta Overholser, president of Humane Society of Cottage Grove. “HSCG has been contacted several times to transport homeless pets af- ter a person passes and no one is in the home or can care for the animals left be- hind. If you had a sudden heart attack, stroke, car accident, COVID or pass, who would look after your pets? Plan before it hap- pens. Place information on your refrigerator “In Case of Emergency” who to con- tact. Also include addition- al information in your will on care of your pet.” We would love to hear about your pet. Write to angelscribe@ msn.com Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales on Face- book: www.facebook.com/ PetTipsandTales Grant funds trail maintenance along Row River Trail Call us today to learn about the options available to you. (541) 205-9369 Last week, the City of Cottage Grove received an approved contract from the Bureau of Land Manage- ment (BLM) for the grant funding to do trail mainte- nance along the Row River Trail from the BLM Mosby Creek Trailhead to end at the Culp Creek Trailhead. The maintenance work will be performed through- out the year in a partner- ship with Al Kennedy High School (AKHS), volunteers and city staff. City staff is meeting with AKHS staff to get started on the maintenance work. 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